How do you know how much you'll pay to ship on Bricklink?

[Nepenthe7]

Do you agree to pay before you know the cost of shipping?

[hatcher]

You place an order, they prepare an invoice that includes the shipping, then you pay. You can usually email them first and ask for a shipping estimate before placing order if you are worried about the costs being too high.

[Nepenthe7]

Thanks. Do you have any other advice for using Bricklink?

[stevebuscemi]

check the splash screen and really read that. Some have no handlings, others have $1-1.50, which can really kill any "deals" they have. Also check min. order sizes and lots sizes. It's more complicated than eBay but MUCH cheaper.

[tankm]

Enable the weight info for the items in your cart. That will gives you an idea how much you going to pay based on their shipping info. Take care of packaging weight as well.

[brickarmor]

Thanks. Do you have any other advice for using Bricklink?

Learn to use your Wanted List.

[stevebuscemi]

Thanks. Do you have any other advice for using Bricklink?

Learn to use your Wanted List.

This. It's SOOOO handy, to just click, "show items on my wanted list". Creating wanted lists is annoying and time consuming but it pays off as you can easy compare with other sellers. Some have a few cheap parts, then more expensive ones, some have good overall pricing.

[cornbread]

Thanks. Do you have any other advice for using Bricklink?

Learn to use your Wanted List.

This. It's SOOOO handy, to just click, "show items on my wanted list". Creating wanted lists is annoying and time consuming but it pays off as you can easy compare with other sellers. Some have a few cheap parts, then more expensive ones, some have good overall pricing.

If you're looking for a number of pieces, using wanted lists lets you see which stores carry the majority of what you're looking for, allowing you to save on shipping by buying mostly from one or a few sellers.

[krayzie]

Thanks. Do you have any other advice for using Bricklink?

Learn to use your Wanted List.

This. It's SOOOO handy, to just click, "show items on my wanted list". Creating wanted lists is annoying and time consuming but it pays off as you can easy compare with other sellers. Some have a few cheap parts, then more expensive ones, some have good overall pricing.

If you're looking for a number of pieces, using wanted lists lets you see which stores carry the majority of what you're looking for, allowing you to save on shipping by buying mostly from one or a few sellers.

Wow, that's great advice. Thanks! I just signed up for bricklink yesterday and trying to manually figure out which seller had what I needed on 10 different tabs didn't work out so well!

[brickarmor]

Maybe it's cuz I'm a literature snob, but I think of BL as a really fat book: some people just look at it and go "UGH! No way!" while others start on page 1 and plod their way through the superabundance of info and functions contained.

Don't be afraid to ask questions in the BL forum either. The same ones recur with a stunning regularity, so you are likely to receive prompt and concise answers.

Just be sure to at least glance at a store's terms before ordering, that way you won't be unpleasantly surprised by any fees or lengthy processing/shipping times.

[Neo]

Do you agree to pay before you know the cost of shipping?

I've never found shipping cost to be unreasonable. However, in parts of Europe - there is this luxury sales tax that can hit the buyer rather hard in the pocketbook.

I use Bricklink because it is the only sole way to get certain Lego parts so shipping is part of the cost. Germany is Lego's biggest market and so often I find it easier to secure semi rare parts I need in the numbers that I need easier from Germany than anywhere else. Other times - even Bricklink won't have it and I'll end up buying directly to Lego.com (Denmark warehouse); Lego.com can be really expensive - for example, Lego charged me +$13 each for a plastic part that is normally found in a Lego education kit (simple and motorize mechanisms set).

[Nepenthe7]

Thanks to everyone for their help. I hope to try ordering from Bricklink, but find it daunting, never having done it before.